Francisca Griffin Photo: supplied
Port Chalmers in Ōtepoti Dunedin has long been a haven for artists as well as seafarers.
It’s an active commercial port and these days the locals also welcome flocks of cruise ship visitors. While that provides its opportunities for the arts, artists are here as much to create as present, relishing the community and beauty of the surrounding environment to develop their work.
Ōtepoti is known for its thriving independent music scene, and Port Chalmers continues to play an important role for recording, rehearsing and performing.
Francisca Griffin is a local naturopath involved in many roles in the community and has been a notable musician since the 1980s, when she was a member of Look Blue Go Purple (under the name Kathy Bull). She was bass player, guitarist vocalist in 80s - 90s band Cyclops and has been releasing her music solo since the late 1990s.
On Friday Look Blue Go Purple were recognised as this year’s classic award winner for their collected works by the Taite Music Prize.
Francisca joins Culture 101’s Mark Amery to introduce Port Chalmers.
Shona Rapira Davies 1989 sculpture ‘They do cut down the poles that hold up the sky’ at Hōtere Garden Oputae, Port Chalmers. Photo: Janine Faulknor
Port Chalmers is a place that continues to be special for many visual artists. On George Street you can see a range of local artists at Pea Sea Art.
Port Chalmers was also the celebrated home and studio at Observation Point for Ralph Hotere for four decades before his death in 2013. Today the Hotere Garden Oputae (accessed from Aurora Terrace) fulfils Hotere‘s wish to see four sculptures to Observation Point, where his studio was demolished, along with some of the bluff on which it stood, despite local protests to make way for port development.
A more recent fight has been to see the restoration and preservation of a historic former maritime foundry, the Sims Engineering building with the hope it might be turned into a multipurpose arts facility. The site was saved from demolition by the Port Chalmers Foundry Trust and fundraising is now underway.
Much of the port town’s heritage is held in the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum, located in the 1877 stone post office.
